Crawford avalanche. (Grayling, Mich.) 1879-19??, 1887-12-22

"Oh, hal" Kissed the Kanaka. "You
white man pretty mad, but you die Just
tho same. You hit Kanaka before
Luta; you make him seem dog in hcI
eyes because you are strong. But Ka-
looka is warrior, and his vengeance
will be terrible"
He turned the head of the canoe into
a sheltered bay, and ran her up on the
beach. Then he lifted me ont and laid
me on the sand, still bound, and hur-
ried into the bushes.
When he came back he had four
pointed stakes, two of which he drove
deep intD the sand, and attached a
strong, green withe 10 each.
hen he dragged me to them, and
made both wrists fast to the stake, and
left me helpless.
Further down toward the water he
drove two other stakes, and made my
feet fast. and 1 lay on my back, my
feet already Tapped by the rising
waves.
Making sure that the bands were too
firm for me to unloose, the villain came
and stood above me, looking at me
with grim smile.
"The tide is coming up" he mutter-
ed. "You will die slowly, but your
death is sure. Never will you make q
dog of Kaloola again"
Then understood my fate.
He meant to leave me there in that
solitude while the tide came slowly up,
and must lie and wait for my death
until the salt waves covered me.
don't think 1 am more coward
than any other man, but the thought
Of such death was maddening.
struggled with my bonds, but only
succeeded in drawing the ligatures
tighter on my wrists and ankles.
Kaloola seated himself upon the
bank above my head, and sat intently
watching, now and then uttering
sneering laugh as the cruel waves crept
slowly up.
1t was terrible to think that he sat
there, relentless as fate, while the salt
waves covered my feet and crept slow
ly up toward my waist.
The scoundrel had raised my head
high, so as to prolong the agony of this
horrible death, and his brutal chuckle,
from time to time, drove me nearly
mad.
Still the sea rose.
Each wave, as it dashed upon the
beach, came higher on my body,
L have read somewhere since that
time-in book called "The Toilers of
the Sea"-how man sat on q rock
while the ship which carried away his
love yyaniished. in tue distance, yhpa.tba
him. He was bound to his place by
despair; but to him death was nothing.
10 me, if 1 must own it, my chief
feeling was rage that had allowed
myself to be entrapped by this vile
Kanaka.
Still the water rose.
1t Tapped my waist in its cool folds,
it rose on my breast, it reached my
neck, and / knew the end was near.
Who can imagine my sensations as
the first wave touched my face? Like
any true sailor, L did not fear drowning
so much, but to die bound! 1t was ter
riblel
A wave dashed over my face, and 1
merely held my breath until il passed
back, and Kaloola uttered a wild yell
of delight, for he had been patiently
waiting for this.
"Ha," lie screamed; "when you are
dead, will bring Luta, and let her SEQ
your face Death is very near"
/ gave it up now, for each wave that
dashed over me came higher and high
er. All at once heard an angry cry
and a dull thud, and the next moment
little figure sprang to my side an |
cut the ligatures on my wrists and
ankles. 1t was Luta, who had suspect
ed that this murderous dog meant mis-
chief, and had followed him in her
canoe.
She had been near when he struck
me down aud placed me in the boat,
and instantly ran to the village for
help. Being more fleet of foot than the
others, she had reached the spot first,
and, rendered desperate by the thought
that was drowning, caught up heavy
bunch of coral from the bank and
struck him down.
Others came running up from the
village just as Kaloola bounded up, and
swinging great club, struck full
ut my head.
Luta ran between us and received
the blow on her temple. Then think
/ went mad for moment as sprang
upon the murderer, and when my
clutch on his throat relaxed the villain
would never do mischief again.
But Luta was dead.
1 don't like to dwell upon it. We
made her grave under the towering
palms, where the sea winds sang her
re eluiem.
But nothing purer or nobler ever en-
tered into rest than this simple South
Sea maid, who gave her life for me.